Oil prices stabilized on Thursday (February 12th), as the market reassigned a risk premium to US-Iran tensions despite US inventory data showing swelling domestic supplies. This movement confirms one thing: geopolitical headlines are still more "noise" than signals of a short-term surplus. As of 3:50 PM WIB, Brent was at $69.60/barrel (+0.29%) and WTI was at $64.83/barrel (+0.31%). The gains were moderate, but enough to keep prices near the psychological $70 level for Brent. From a geopolitical perspective, market focus is on the potential for escalation in the Middle East. Recent reports...
The UK economy expanded 0.1% QoQ in the three months to December 2024 after showing no growth in the third quarter. The data beat the expected 0.1% decline in the reported period.The UK GDP increased 1.4% year-on-year (YoY) in Q4 vs. 1.1% expected and 0.9% recorded in Q3.The monthly UK GDP arrived at 0.4% in December, compared to a 0.1% increase in November, bettering the expectations of 0.1%.Meanwhile, the Index of services (December) came in at 0.2% 3M/3M vs. 0% prior.Other data from the UK showed that Industrial Production and Manufacturing Production grew 0.5% and 0.7%, respectively,...
Underlying US inflation last month rose by more than forecast, supporting the Federal Reserve's cautious approach to lowering interest rates. The so-called core consumer price index — which excludes food and energy costs — increased 0.4% in January after a 0.2% advance in December, Bureau of Labor Statistics figures showed Wednesday. From a year ago, it rose 3.3%. Economists see the core gauge as a better indicator of the underlying inflation trend than the overall CPI that includes often-volatile food and energy costs. The headline measure rose 0.5% from December...
The United States (US) Bureau of Labor Statistics will release January's Consumer Price Index (CPI) report on Wednesday at 13:30 GMT. As a key indicator of inflation, this report might influence the US Dollar's (USD) price action in the short-term horizon, although it's not expected to lead to any immediate changes in the Federal Reserve's (Fed) monetary policy stance.That said, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is expected to show an annual increase of 2.9% in January—matching the previous month's reading. When you strip out the volatile food and energy prices to get a clearer picture, the...
Britain is set for solid growth and falling inflation this year but the Bank of England has little scope to cut interest rates further, the NIESR think tank predicted on Wednesday in a relatively upbeat set of forecasts. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research also said finance minister Rachel Reeves remained just on track to stay within her fiscal rules when the Office for Budget Responsibility updates its forecasts next month - though it said there should be a greater focus on long-term debt challenges. NIESR forecast the British economy would grow by 1.5% this year -...
Italy's second-largest lender UniCredit on Tuesday posted a fourth-quarter profit beat, raising shareholder returns amid market focus on the bank's M&A overtures.Net profit attributable to the group came in at 1.969 billion euros ($2.03 billion) in the fourth quarter, compared with an analyst forecast of 1.803 billion euros, according to a LSEG-compiled consensus.Revenues reached 6 billion euros over the period, versus analyst expectations of 5.898 billion euros.Other fourth-quarter highlights included:Return on tangible equity of 11.5%, compared with 19.7% in the third quarter.CET 1...
British employers are the most likely among those in major European countries to include salary details when they advertise a job, with 71% doing so compared to just 16% in Germany, research from recruitment platform Indeed showed on Tuesday.The proportion of British job advertisements providing salary details has risen steadily from 48% in 2019 and has also increased elsewhere in Europe, though the gaps between countries have not changed much."The culture around pay secrecy and negotiation is a bigger factor in some countries than others," Indeed economist Jack Kennedy said.Next (LON:NXT)...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he will announce additional 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the U.S., and will also announce reciprocal duties over what he sees as unfair trading practices. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said he will announce the 25% tariffs on Monday, and will announce the reciprocal tariffs on Tuesday or Wednesday, with both duties to be effective immediately. The president was on his way to the NFL Super Bowl in New Orleans- a route that saw him fly over the Gulf of America, which the president had recently renamed from...
Hundreds of small earthquakes that shook Greece's tourist hotspot of Santorini this week have revived concerns about the safety of a decades-long construction boom along the island's sheer, volcanic cliffs, experts said. No serious damage has been reported, but scientists have warned that the seismic activity could last for weeks and have not ruled out the possibility of a larger quake to come. That worries experts, some of whom have long questioned the sustainability of turning the small island of quaint villages into one of Europe's most popular holiday destinations. "They wanted to...
Gold rises in the early Asian trade. There's a broad commodities uptrend, driven by macro uncertainty, a weaker dollar, and persistent demand for "hard" assets, says Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst...
Oil extended declines after OPEC+ agreed to a bigger-than-expected production increase next month, raising concerns about oversupply just as US tariffs fan fears about the demand outlook.
Brent...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) weakened against its US counterpart and reversed part of Friday's recovery from the lowest level since July 23 following Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda's remarks....